2022 World Intellectual Property Day

This World Intellectual Property Day FIAD would like to emphasize that strong enforcement measures to combat online piracy of films are essential for a sustainable and successful European film sector.

The European film and AV sector continues to suffer grievously from large scale online copyright infringements which drastically reduces revenues for all actors within the ecosystem. For example, the closure of cinemas throughout Europe to hinder the spread of the COVID-19 virus has exacerbated the online piracy challenge, as consumers have consumed greater amounts of illegal audiovisual content during lockdown. Data released from MUSO, the global authority on digital piracy, reveals global piracy increased by over 33% when lockdown was in place.

This reality leads to FIAD’s members decreasing their investments in both physical and online distribution as well as curtail investment in content creation. In turn, this jeopardises the circulation of films, threatens cultural diversity and endangers jobs in the European AV sector.

FIAD will continue to advocate for strong enforcement measures so that intellectual property is respected and films can be protected.